A new Vashon enterprise, Food as Medicine Global (FAMG) has announced its launch as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to uniting agriculture and medicine in health and healing for all.

FAMG’s vision is to create a collaborative global community of farmers, health care providers, healers, hospitals, clinics, educators, schools, academic centers, students, cooks and consumers united in a vision for a healthy world.

The organization’s founders, Beth Rosenthal and Heather Carrie, plan to host events in the field and in the kitchen along with hosting an online community site for continued cooperative engagement to advance the Food as Medicine movement.

“Many of our current world challenges have a common root: the way food is grown and consumed. Farming practices impact the health of people, animals, and the environment,” says Rosenthal, the organization’s president. “Healthier soil leads to healthier food, healthier people, a healthier ecosystem, and a healthier climate. Increasing access to healthier food leads to healthier individuals and communities.”

Although a great deal of work is happening in these areas, much of it is in isolation, the two founders said.

FAMG’s value-added, they explained, is in providing structure and services for this community to blossom: gathering information, building bridges, advancing conversations, strengthening engagement, amplifying efforts, highlighting success stories, and energizing a global movement.

“We believe in the power of food in community and the positive impact that happens when people work joyfully together in the soil, in the kitchen and at the table,” says Carrie, FAMG’s executive director. “We are happy to be stewarding this initiative to both advance the Food as Medicine movement and create a thriving global organization.”

Rosenthal and Carrie bring years of experience as leaders within health-promoting organizations. Rosenthal is experienced in leading working groups, facilitating roundtable discussions, and teaching self-care practices. Carrie is an experienced executive director, health policy advocate, educator, and former Vashon Island Farmer’s Market manager.

For more information, visit foodasmedicine.global.